Inky Little Sunbeams

Keegan Gibbs' short film will make you want to go the beach...

 

Ok, so the sun makes me dream of beach days filled with mucking around in the waves with friends... this short film by one of my all time favourite photographers, Keegan Gibbs, sums it up perfectly - enjoy...

Pro surfer Coco Ho is suspended in time...

Desillusion Mag blows it out of the water yet again with their daily dose of f*** yeah this time profiling pro-rider Coco Ho. Amazing shot as she duck dives the wave...Shot by Tony Heff initially winning 'Photo of the Day' on National Geographic's site. 

Say oooh ah, Superga....

I've just spent a happy 15 minutes on my lunch break sighing over Superga's summer 12 collection on my-wardrobe. Bringing her inimitable style to freshen up our summer, Alexa Chung brings the season's colourways alive in her Miami based photoshoot - here it is below for you to enjoy again... Superga's are so comfy and perfect for riding your cruiser to the beach or loafing around in the park. Get them quickly before they all sell out...

Leica launch another world first with their M Monochrom

At their press event earlier, despite being wowed by the opulence of the collectors' Hermes edition, it was the M Monochrom that really caught my eye. This is the world's first digital camera to produce exclusively black and white photography.
As the sensor does not 'see' colours, every single one of its 18 million pixels are therefore used to capture light in its purest form producing images that are one hundred times sharper than comparable images shot from cameras with colour sensors.
Leica had displayed a host of black and white images in their new studio off Berkley Sq and they showed of the clarity perfectly that the new camera has to offer. UK dwellers can expect to see the camera hitting their shores in late July with a price tag of £6,120 (recommended for the body not inclusive of lenses)
I think Ansel Adams himself would be pleased with the level of tone and definition respectfully shown by Leica here. Start saving now....

Leica and Hermes launch their special edition...

Well here it is everyone... the moment that Leica and Hermes fans the world over have been waiting for, the launch of their third collaboration - the Leica M9-P Edition Hermes.
300 of the Veau Swift calfskin leather clad beauties will now be available profiling the work of none other than the automotive designer Walter de'Silva. Fans of the standard M9-P will note his careful restyling of the body and the multifunction wheel and shutter release. Seeing it in the flesh was a privilege as this is truly a collector's piece and I'm sure they'll be snapped up straight away commanding their £18,000 price tag.
Even more exclusive than this, Leica are set to launch a special set in June 2012, the 'Leica M9-P Edition Hermes - Serie Limitee Jean-Louis'. Only 100 of these are to be produced and is a celebration of the friendship between Jean-Louis, the former president of Hermes and Leica. Accompanied by three lenses, a hand-finished camera bag, notably the first created by Hermes, it also includes Jean-Louis' photographic work portrayed in two volumes. Set at £36,000 per set we can only dream, however in comparison it does make their other models seem set at a much more attractive and consumable rate - that's my justification and I'm sticking to it...

Countdown for the Leica launch event on Wednesday begins now...

Can. Not. Wait. I'm literally on the edge of my seat; I LOVE Leica and I'm thrilled to be invited along. This is the image from the invite - I'll keep you posted on what's coming next...

Want to design your own fabrics to be printed? Enter Spoonflower...

Well I've spent a happy hour flicking through Spoonflower's quirky designs and dreamt up many of my own ideas for printing. I had to share this site because if you have an idea for a room and want to make it truly individual then start scribbling down concepts now and get in touch - there's no minimum order which makes it feasible compared to the many others out there. Below are a few samples of my favourites...

C x

True that.

Nothing better than making a new friend who expresses their lovely soul through art...more coming up in time, this sums it up for now. Watch this space...

Have you found a Pretty Green paisley egg yet?

What's not to like about Easter? Sunshine, chocolate, two extra days off, family, friends, and now happier shopping thanks to Pretty Green. Search for paisley eggs hidden online and across the stores from today until 10th April and you'll receive a special discount if you happen to stumble upon one. Cheers Liam - happy Easter right back!

I did it.... big smiles as I hit 80,000 words

Well my target of 80,000 words was reached with a cry of elation, and the superb bottle of chilled to perfection Pouilly Fuissé was finally guzzled in honour of the occasion. 

I have a list of a few extra events that need to be written into the story and then the process of refining and chopping begins...

This will no doubt see me tearing my hair out and sleeping with my thesaurus under my pillow, but then without the frustration there would be no ultimate satisfaction so bring it on! 

Thank you to everyone that has sent me so many lovely encouraging messages over the past six weeks. It's been the most incredible experience to finally do something that I dreamt about for years. I'm sure I'll write about the whole process in more depth but for now I'm going to give my numb fingers a well-earned break and top up my glass.

Brand Spirit gives us 100 days of pure white...

Have you heard about Andrew Miller's latest project Brand Spirit? Every day for 100 days he's sourcing a product that has a value of under $10 and stripping it right back to its purest form by painting it brilliant white. This concept really heralds the genius of iconic design to see if people can guess the product just by its form - some are more obvious than others, keep up-to-date with his work here...